Cassidy defends RFK Jr vote, reveals Trump may not break with him

WASHINGTON, DC: Sen Bill Cassidy signaled on Sunday, June 28, that President Donald Trump is unlikely to remove Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, even as the Louisiana Republican acknowledged that commitments made during Kennedy's confirmation process have since been broken.

Explaining his controversial vote to confirm Kennedy, Cassidy argued that, given Kennedy's influence with Trump, confirming him with safeguards was preferable to allowing him to shape health policy from outside the administration.

The remarks offered one of Cassidy's clearest explanations yet for why he backed the nomination despite deep disagreements over vaccines.

Bill Cassidy claims RFK Jr has Trump's confidence

During an appearance on CBS' 'Face the Nation', Cassidy repeatedly suggested that Kennedy's future remains firmly in President Trump's hands, indicating he does not expect the administration to part ways with the HHS secretary despite growing criticism over his tenure.

While Cassidy admitted that his own trust in Kennedy has deteriorated, he stopped short of calling for Kennedy's removal, instead making it clear that the final decision belongs to Trump.

The senator also explained why he ultimately voted to confirm Kennedy despite widespread concerns over his vaccine positions. 

According to Cassidy, Kennedy's influence with Trump would have remained substantial regardless of the Senate vote.

Cassidy argued that rejecting Kennedy's nomination would likely have resulted in him becoming an influential White House adviser anyway without the commitments and "guardrails" negotiated during the confirmation process.

Faced with those two scenarios, Cassidy said he concluded that confirming Kennedy while securing specific assurances offered the better path.

Bill Cassidy says trust with Kennedy fractured

Pressed on whether Kennedy simply made promises to secure confirmation, Cassidy acknowledged that it was "easy to surmise" political considerations may have played a role.

Nevertheless, he defended his decision as a practical judgment rather than an endorsement of Kennedy's views.

"You can criticize that," Cassidy said. "But I'm not sure it's quite as black and white as people like to say."

At the same time, Cassidy admitted that the relationship has changed dramatically since Kennedy took office.

One of the biggest sticking points involves the CDC's autism and vaccines webpage, which Cassidy said violated commitments previously made to him.

Cassidy also pushed back against anti-vaccine messaging.

He argued that polling continues to show strong public support for immunization and pointed to recent measles outbreaks as evidence that Americans recognize the importance of vaccines.

According to Cassidy, the Trump administration itself appears to have shifted toward a more positive message on vaccination in response to public health concerns.

Still, he acknowledged broader challenges inside the Department of Health and Human Services, including leadership vacancies and uncertainty surrounding key public health positions.